tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post8467421580287111508..comments2024-03-29T06:35:11.321-04:00Comments on The Elephant Bar: . Q .Deuce ☂http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comBlogger76125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-38083290721089250602012-05-18T01:59:30.055-04:002012-05-18T01:59:30.055-04:00As a prelude to a broader analysis of China’s GDP,...<i>As a prelude to a broader analysis of China’s GDP, and the accuracy of its official GDP figures, I want to start by examining the national real estate statistics for the first four months of 2012. This discussion feeds into the broader GDP picture, but the property story that has been unfolding is important and interesting enough to be worth taking a close look at on its own.<br /><br />...<br /><br />All that being said, I’m seeing some rather striking patterns in the data that tell us two main things:<br /><br /> The market is not poised to recover, but will continue to see greater downward pressure on prices; and<br /> Real estate investment is likely to flatten out or start falling, erasing several percentage points of GDP growth.<br /><br />...<br /><br />I think most readers will agree, this is pretty powerful stuff. At least one major sector of the Chinese economy (10-13% of GDP), which had been a leading growth driver, is undoubtedly in contraction.</i><br /><br /><a href="http://www.economonitor.com/blog/2012/05/china-real-estate-unravels/" rel="nofollow">Real Estate Unravels</a>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-22445759137390027182012-05-18T00:18:57.166-04:002012-05-18T00:18:57.166-04:00Ten months into South Sudan’s independence, the ha...<i>Ten months into South Sudan’s independence, the hazards of building a Western-leaning country in a region that’s being shaped by conflict, mass migration, and war criminals like Omar al-Bashir are clear. In ten years, South Sudan could be stable and prosperous.<br /><br />It could just as easily become a dysfunctional failed state. Samaritan’s Purse has little control over which course the country will take.<br /><br />The organization can dig wells and rebuild churches, but it cannot solve the oil issue or stop the war in South Kordofan.</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-43384350793597936392012-05-17T23:58:43.940-04:002012-05-17T23:58:43.940-04:00Book report: "Son of the Morning Star, Custer...Book report: "Son of the Morning Star, Custer and the Little Bighorn" (wife is reading this)<br /><br />General Reno could drink General Grant right under the table. General Reno had the distinction of having the most demerits of anyone who graduated from West Point at the time. At the battle itself, he was really, really 'lit up'.<br /><br />The enlisted men, who really had no means to carry liquor of their own, sometimes took to sealing the gun barrels of their rifles, and carrying three or four shot of whiskey in that manner.<br /><br />We all known Custer was a vain fool who lead his troops right into an impossible situation.<br /><br />bAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-72819483741483415852012-05-17T23:22:08.131-04:002012-05-17T23:22:08.131-04:00Morgan Stanley, which won the coveted lead left sp...<i>Morgan Stanley, which won the coveted lead left spot in the deal, was considered a shoo-in for its experience in technology IPOs. Goldman Sachs was expected to come in second because of its $1.5 billion private offering in January 2011, but was beat out by JP Morgan, which put its top bankers on the effort to woo Facebook and is playing a central role in the IPO.<br /><br />For J.P. Morgan, the plum underwriting role is a bright spot given the bank's recent troubles with trading losses. So far this year, the bank ranks as the top bookrunner on U.S. listed IPOs for a total deal value of $1.5 billion, excluding Facebook's public offering, according to Dealogic data.<br /><br />At Facebook's Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters, employees planned to usher in the IPO with an all-night computer programming session, or "hackathon," until Mr. Zuckerberg presses the opening bell on the Nasdaq Stock Market at around 6:30 a.m. local time.</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-8784942457606828552012-05-17T22:11:15.015-04:002012-05-17T22:11:15.015-04:00In a recorded interview, a man identified as the R...<i>In a recorded interview, a man identified as the Rev. Jeremiah Wright claimed that an associate of President Obama, through an intermediary, offered him money to stop preaching during the 2008 presidential campaign.</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-18242515541614394482012-05-17T22:09:38.045-04:002012-05-17T22:09:38.045-04:00America hit a demographic milestone last year, wit...<i>America hit a demographic milestone last year, with new census figures showing for the first time more than half the children born in the U.S. were minorities.</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-59460596022525858612012-05-17T22:02:52.297-04:002012-05-17T22:02:52.297-04:00Sheriff Joe is open to the possibility. He is repo...Sheriff Joe is open to the possibility. He is reported to have added it to his 'ton of evidence' he is pursuing.<br /><br />bAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-28128713477993442862012-05-17T21:55:42.534-04:002012-05-17T21:55:42.534-04:00heh
I was a borner (natural born citizen, two cit...heh<br /><br />I was a borner (natural born citizen, two citizen parents required) but now I am becoming a birther as well.<br /><br />bAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-2942863056263171422012-05-17T21:51:45.804-04:002012-05-17T21:51:45.804-04:00Absolutely he did. No doubt at all of that.
bAbsolutely he did. No doubt at all of that.<br /><br />bAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-85743369351177979622012-05-17T21:19:47.894-04:002012-05-17T21:19:47.894-04:00.
This is similar to the argument that if the ric....<br /><br />This is similar to the argument that if the rich had to pay 100% in taxes it would still not eliminate the deficit. True but irrelevant when discussing the issue of should the rich be paying more taxes.<br /><br />Since true to form, Sam has offered no link to the original article one can only assume it is an argument for defense spending as opposed to health care in our allocation of scarce resources. But like the argument on taxes, discussion of healthcare is irrelevant with regard to whether the current level of defense spending is an optimal level. Once and optimal level is identified, you can argue over how to split up the pie.<br /><br />.Quirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00272168240606512672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-49902142213424176022012-05-17T21:05:47.182-04:002012-05-17T21:05:47.182-04:00.
...it would be helpful for the administration t....<br /><br /><i>...it would be helpful for the administration to clarify which groups or individuals can be targeted under its definition of the congressional authorization.</i><br /><br />It will never happen.<br /><br />This is the kind of stuff about Obama the country should be up in arms about not where he was born.<br /><br />.Quirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00272168240606512672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-88971833382833416032012-05-17T21:00:52.242-04:002012-05-17T21:00:52.242-04:00.
Oh, I understand the form alright. It's th....<br /><br />Oh, I understand the form alright. It's the statement and its relevance I don't quite savvy.<br /><br />.Quirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00272168240606512672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-90135132261539433292012-05-17T20:59:22.690-04:002012-05-17T20:59:22.690-04:00.
Interesting question.
A more interesting one, ....<br /><br />Interesting question.<br /><br />A more interesting one, how many politicians have?<br /><br />.Quirkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00272168240606512672noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-78908885622511723162012-05-17T20:57:29.865-04:002012-05-17T20:57:29.865-04:00Despite that rationale, the publication will no do...<i>Despite that rationale, the publication will no doubt fuel "birthers" who refuse to believe Obama was born in the United States.</i><br /><br />Who could possibly believe Obama was born in Kenya or OJ did it?Deuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-84873412564676917272012-05-17T20:53:25.680-04:002012-05-17T20:53:25.680-04:00I guarantee you Obama read that publicity piece 25...I guarantee you Obama read that publicity piece 25 times. He took it to the bathroom with him. He placed it next to his plate at the table. He showed it to everyone who was in reach. He directed them to particular parts. He read pieces aloud. He asked people what they thought about it. It sat on the passenger side of his car so that he could read it at red lights.Deuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-66565289889515780232012-05-17T20:41:28.571-04:002012-05-17T20:41:28.571-04:00An elderly, white-haired man walked into a jewelle...An elderly, white-haired man walked into a jewellery store one Friday evening with a beautiful young blonde at his side.<br /><br />He told the jeweller he was looking for a special ring for his girlfriend. <br />The jeweller looked through his stock and brought out a £5,000 ring. The old man said, "No, I'd like to see something more special."<br /><br />At that statement, the jeweller went to his special stock and brought another ring over. "Here's a stunning ring at only £40,000," he said.<br /><br />The young lady's eyes sparkled and her whole body trembled with excitement. The old man seeing this said, "We'll take it."<br /><br />The jeweller asked how payment would be made and the old man stated, "By cheque. I know you need to make sure my cheque clears so I'll write it now, and you can call the bank on Monday morning to verify the funds and I'll pick the ring up on Monday afternoon," he said.. <br />On Monday morning, the jeweller 'phoned the old man and said "Sir, there's no money in that account." <br />"I know," said the old man, "but let me tell you about my weekend!"samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-76749474098990520752012-05-17T19:56:03.168-04:002012-05-17T19:56:03.168-04:00On this day in 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court handed...On this day in 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, declaring racially segregated schools was unconstitutional.samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-550973124100972842012-05-17T19:53:20.796-04:002012-05-17T19:53:20.796-04:00A report (PDF) compiled by the Republican staff of...<i>A report (PDF) compiled by the Republican staff of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and released last week found that the agency charged with making air travel (and so much more) such a hassle "is wasting hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars by inefficiently deploying screening equipment and technology to commercial airports."<br /><br />Some highlights:<br /><br /> 85 percent of the approximately 5,700 items of major transportation security equipment currently warehoused had been stored for longer than six months<br /><br />...<br /><br />TSA had 472 carry-on baggage screening machines warehoused, more than 99 percent of which have remained in storage for more than nine months<br /><br />...<br /><br />TSA possessed 1,462 explosive trace detectors in storage, each purchased at a cost of $30,000.</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-74332691978061260782012-05-17T19:49:31.456-04:002012-05-17T19:49:31.456-04:00In New York, in a speech to the UN, the President ...<i>In New York, in a speech to the UN, the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, was due to pledge support to the Greek people provided they honoured their commitments. A pre-released text of his speech said: "We want Greece to stay in the euro area and the European Union will do all it takes to ensure it.<br /><br />We will honour our commitments toward Greece and we expect the Greek government – current and future – to fulfil jointly agreed conditions for financial assistance." However, delivering the speech, Mr Barroso omitted any mention of Greece.<br /><br />Stuart Gulliver, the group chief executive of HSBC, said that there was a risk that markets would take a drastic downward lurch even before next month's Greek election. "It's absolutely how the eurozone plays out and whether Greece stays in, and/or whether firewalls are high enough to protect Spain and frankly whether markets take things into their own hands before 17 June," he said.</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-16958983824194862302012-05-17T19:44:58.561-04:002012-05-17T19:44:58.561-04:00Moreover, as the chart shows, if you add in other ...<i>Moreover, as the chart shows, if you add in other safety net programs (such as federal unemployment, food stamps, and housing assistance — but excluding Social Security), under Kennedy we spent 7 percent of our federal budget on health programs and safety net programs combined — or $1 for every $7 that we spent on defense. Under Obama, the share of federal spending that has gone to health programs or safety net programs has ballooned to 36 percent — or $11 for every $7 that we spend on defense. <br /><br />In fact, according to Obama’s own figures, we could have eliminated all defense spending last year, and we still would have run a deficit of almost half a trillion dollars — which (at least in actual dollars) is larger than any pre-2009 deficit. Again, that’s without spending a penny on defense, which accounted for more than half of Kennedy’s 1962 budget.<br /><br />Just imagine what percentage of the federal budget would come to be spent on health care if Obamacare isn’t repealed — and just imagine how hard it would be for future generations to ever dig out of our $15,700,000,000,000 hole, which is growing deeper by the day.</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-64200892512555967042012-05-17T19:41:10.551-04:002012-05-17T19:41:10.551-04:00Defense Secretary Leon Panetta already has publicl...<i>Defense Secretary Leon Panetta already has publicly has acknowledged U.S. operations in Yemen. Mr. Panetta said recently that the military has been "very successful at going after the leadership" of al Qaeda in Yemen.<br /><br />...<br /><br />While Mr. Brennan in his speech last month offered a list of al Qaeda affiliates that pose a danger, U.S. officials have never publicly listed which terrorist groups are considered associated forces of al Qaeda that can be targeted by the military.<br /><br />Some legal scholars have asked for a fuller accounting of what terrorist groups the administration believes can be targeted under the congressional authorization. Robert Chesney, a professor at the University of Texas Law School, said it would be helpful for the administration to clarify which groups or individuals can be targeted under its definition of the congressional authorization.</i>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-69058454516521548692012-05-17T19:33:32.712-04:002012-05-17T19:33:32.712-04:00from the dreaded American Thinker -
May 17, 2012...from the dreaded American Thinker -<br /><br /><i><br />May 17, 2012<br />Hard to believe Obama didn't approve literary agent listing him as born in Kenya<br />Rosslyn Smith<br /><br />It is going to be hard for the media to argue this was some inadvertent error as almost all the big names there have literary agents and know the unwritten rule that an author controls what gets said about the author.<br /><br />It should be noted that many of the talking heads on cable TV have have authored books and therefore presumably have literary agents. Thus they are familiar with practices in the industry. I suspect their experience mirrors that of PJ Media founder Roger L. Simon. <br /><br />... as the author of 11 books, I can say that in EVERY instance that I have been published, I have seen such material in advance. It could be that Obama is the exception, but that is highly unlikely.<br /><br />It's always been my understanding the author controls what is said about the author's background by the literary agent, the editor and the publisher. That certainly was my experience both when I worked for a professional magazine and when I've written articles in professional and general interest publications. We might advise that some aspect of their background be highlighted over another but everything got double checked with the author.<br /><br />Since the blurb that appeared in the 1991 promotional booklet by literary agents Acton & Dystel appears to contain information about Obama's place of birth that he presumably never got to see I think both his supporters and detractors can agree: Obama must be considered sui generis among authors of memoirs, law school professors and presidents. If Bill Clinton was first in his class when it came to his relationship with the truth, Obama is a class all of his own. <br /><br />Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2012/05/hard_to_believe_obama_didnt_approve_literary_agent_listing_him_as_born_in_kenya.html#ixzz1vAmHUPDo</i><br /><br />bAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-52929069641457885452012-05-17T19:02:35.080-04:002012-05-17T19:02:35.080-04:00Quirk, please, movie buff, I will put it in a form...Quirk, please, movie buff, I will put it in a form you may understand.<br /><br />It is Eddie Murphy in "Beverly Hills Cop" pulling a fast one on whitey.<br /><br />bAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-67303485880528576212012-05-17T18:58:09.792-04:002012-05-17T18:58:09.792-04:00How many people have been fired or resigned in dis...How many people have been fired or resigned in disgrace because of a phony entry on their resume? Either the claim or the denial is a lie. One of them is a false claim. I have had security clearance up to Top Secret. Every statement had to be signed and prescribed a stiff penalty for misrepresenting facts. Misrepresenting your country of origin is a serious matter. Obama is a liar and a fraud.Deuce ☂https://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-56076879424742033532012-05-17T18:52:27.815-04:002012-05-17T18:52:27.815-04:00She likes Dale, but refuses to gamble with him.
:...She likes Dale, but refuses to gamble with him.<br /><br />:)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com